Stories

“What is Hemp?” — a long-read article on ShiftC that compiles valuable information. As a specialist in this field, I will provide supplementary notes on each section.

I went to Heilongjiang Province to visit a cannabis field just before harvest. A fresh breeze was blowing through the lush cannabis fields. It reminded me of a bamboo forest...

We have translated an excerpt from the United Nations Industrial Hemp Report (2023). The United Nations has compiled a report to help people understand industrial hemp. In it, they touch...

Based on the amount of CO2 absorbed during hemp cultivation, we have begun to convert it into a value per piece of clothing. This will be displayed on each product...

During decortication (the process of separating the outer bast fibers from hemp), the inner woody core, called "ogara" in Japanese and "hurd" in English, is separated and stored in a...

This was the process I wanted to know more about. It was the one thing I most wanted to see with my own eyes. The biggest key is how to...

"Those who really need to produce it should take from nature only the amount they really need." Not only Bashofu, but also linen, hemp, abaca (Manila hemp), and other fibers...

Field retting separates bast and core using rain and dew. A key, nature-driven step for textile hemp; timing and colour vary by weather.

We visited a hemp farm and a state-of-the-art Textile-Hemp spinning factory on the outskirts of Harbin. This region has long produced flax and hemp, but since the 2010s major investment...

At agricultural experiment stations, selective breeding continues, now reaching the third generation. The THC component has been reduced to below 0.3%, effectively undetectable. This is considered one of the world’s...

At the end of October we visited Koro Kobo on Iriomote with OIST project lead Mr. Niizato to meet Akiko Ishigaki, a bearer and creator of Yaeyama’s bashofu.

The microscopic structure of hemp yarn is "porous" like linen. This structure is thought to be the basis of its water retention, heat retention, and UV protection properties.